Stained Grass
by Dokami-San
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Zetsu had been feared and hated. And unfortunately, it was partly his fault. Rated T for violence.


Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ or any of its characters. But I do own Raito and this story.

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Chapter 1

That day was just like any other day for Raito. He woke up at exactly 6 o'clock a.m., got out of bed, got dressed, ate breakfast (two riceballs and a cup of tea, as always), and set out to work. The work in question was always either some menial labor around the house (such as washing the dishes after breakfast) or working on the small vegetable garden that he and his family painstakingly grew. The garden only contained a collection of small sprouts at the moment, as summer had just started and they had planted them a mere five days ago. Every Monday Raito was given garden duty--luckily for him, that day happened to be a Monday. Honestly, he enjoyed working on the garden. He found it relaxing. His only wish was that he would be given garden duty _every_day instead of only once a week. Although he doubted that that would ever happen.

At 6:30 Raito headed for the tool shed, just as always. The shed was well-kept and regularly dusted, and the odd spider that happened to make its home in a corner would be disposed of immediatly...His mother. His mother was the one who cleaned out the tool shed every Wednesday, Raito remembered. In fact, she cleaned pretty much everything in and around the household. She was your typical housewife, that woman. Chuckling silently at that thought, Raito picked up the tin watering can and backed out of the shed, closing the door behind him with a rusty squeak. Apparently, someone hadn't oiled the door hinges yet, he thought absentmindedly, and walked along the dirt path leading to their vegetable garden. Weighing the watering can in one hand, it felt light, and he knew that he'd have to stop by the well first to refill the can with water. Just his luck.

Making a quick detour, Raito ducked into the thick forest lining the path. His family was rather nuts when it came to keeping their land well-groomed, and that fact was evident in the blooming flowers and fresh grass that covered the forest floor like a carpet. The trees grew tall and large, and their tops covered the sky like a veil, only allowing a few spots of sunshine to peek through. The soft footsteps of small woodland animals could be heard if one listened closely, but Raito didn't have time to listen. Every day was run by a tight schedule that didn't allow for mistakes, and the last thing he wanted to do was fall behind on his daily chores. He hurried towards the only clearing in the entire forest; a small gap where there were no trees to stare up at and the most sunshine made its way through. In the middle of it stood a quaint stone well about half the size of Raito himself--not that that was really saying much, as Raito was a bit short for his age. And as he pushed his way past a pair of thick bushes into the small clearing, he found something--or rather, some_one_--he wasn't expecting to see.

Leaning into the well was a young boy much younger than himself--four or five years old, he guessed. The boy was wearing a grey tartan yukata tied together by a dark grey obi, and on his feet, a pair of simple wooden geta. All Raito could make out was a mass of messy green hair--the color of the grass below his feet. Raito paused for a moment, unsure if he should tell the rest of his family that there was a trespasser, but decided against it. The boy was probably just lost, anyways. Taking a step forward, Raito decided to make himself known.

"Hello...?"

Upon hearing Raito's voice, the boy slowly turned and lifted his gaze to meet Raito's, allowing the busy gardener to see his face more clearly. What he found was a pair of large, yellow eyes staring back at him, wide and...scared? Worried? Surprised? The boy's face was rather peculiar in and of itself--his skin was split into two colors, black on the left side of his face and white on the right. In fact, looking at the boy's hands and feet poking out from behind the cotton robe, it seemed that that color pattern spanned his entire body. And still there was that messy green hair atop his head, looking in desperate need of a brush and comb. Raito was rather taken aback by the boy, but, through all those eighteen-odd years that he'd been alive, he had learned not to judge someone by their appearance, no matter how strange. Regaining whatever composure he had somehow lost, he forced a weak smile at the boy and made his way closer to the well. The boy remained still.

"What are you doing here, huh? You know, this is me and my family's private property. You're not supposed to be here without permission," Raito said, trying to sound as kind as possible. In all truth he was more surprised than angry, but still.

"...I was thirsty," came the strange young boy's mumbled reply. It was hard to tell if he was shy or just naturally talked like that. Raito's smile widened a bit at that, threatening to turn into an unintentionally goofy grin.

"Thirsty, huh? You could've just come by our house and asked for a glass of water if that's the case. I'm sure my mother would've been happy to help you." The boy lowered his gaze, his yellow eyes now staring at his feet as he wiggled his toes nervously. Silence. Raito's smile faded a bit, feeling as though whatever conversation he had started with the boy was now lost. He leaned in a bit closer, worry now present in his voice.

"Where are your parents?"

Those yellow eyes lifted their gaze once again, that same wide-eyed look, that same hint of some indescribable emotion.

"I don't have any parents."

Raito frowned. An orphan, of course. Yet, for some reason that didn't surprise him much. Perhaps somwhere in the back of his mind he knew, or at least guessed, that the boy was without a family. Why else would he have snuck onto their private property and hovered around their well, claiming to be thirsty? And speaking of the well...Backing away from the boy, he lifted the watering can that he had almost neglected onto the edge of the well, filling it up with water like he had come to do in the first place. There was a bit of an awkward silence for a moment, and Raito almost thought that the strange little boy had left until he turned around to find him watching intently. Seeing that boy watch him as if begging for a drink, he couldn't help but feel a bit charitable suddenly. Moving closer and placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, Raito smiled at him once again, the other hand holding the now-full tin watering can tightly.

"Why don't you come with me, little guy? No need to stand out here all day," Raito said sincerely, still smiling. The boy seemed to consider that offer for a moment before finally giving a hesitant "okay". And Raito was thankful for that, as he probably would've forced the boy to come with him anyways. He couldn't just leave the boy alone like that, not now. He lifted his hand from the boy's shoulder and headed out of the small clearing, stopping briefly at the edge to look over his shoulder and make sure he was being followed like he expected. Instead, he found that the boy was still rooted in place next to the well. Raito tilted his head to the side. Was he scared? There was nothing to be scared of, really. He understood if the boy felt a bit nervous at following a stranger he had just met...perhaps Raito should give him a bit more assurance--and a little push. He strode back over to where the boy was standing, looking slightly worried for a moment before breaking out into yet another smile and taking the boy's hand gently.

"C'mon, there's nothing to be scared of. And don't worry--I don't bite," Raito said; he was given an odd look in return, but didn't think anything of it. Hesitating, the boy slowly gave in and gave a slight nod, allowing Raito to lead him out of the clearing. The older boy's smile remained, and the two were now walking side-by-side, passing trees at a leisurely pace. The sunlight that had shown through the clearing was now no longer in sight, instead being replaced with a slight darkness drenched in a deep, forest green. Moments passed with little conversation between the two of them, but that didn't last long.

"Sooo...what's your name, kid?" The boy lifted his gaze up at Raito once again, his expression distant just as before. It was as if he wasn't quite sure if he could trust Raito with that kind of knowledge.

"Zetsu...my name's Zetsu."

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A/N: So yeah...I guess I can't help but write stories about characters that barely get any screen time and/or page time. Especially if said character is a favorite of mine. And has no known background. Then I feel the need to make up my own. Of course, it's rather difficult for me to think up a good origin for Zetsu without it sounding, well, ridiculous, so I decided to just stick with his childhood. ;

And for some strange reason, I find the fact that the title kinda sounds like "stained glass" to be amusing...

Anyways, R&R! And I promise that as soon as I stop being lazy I'll write the next chapter. I hope. I should really get to my other story, too...


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